Odd Man Out
by Arsaem
Summary: Surrounded by his Earth Kingdom family, full of earthbenders, all of whom came from Ba Sing Se, the Earth Capital...and Mako, the firebender, who really was the odd man out.


**Odd Man Out**

Mako watched, amused, as Bolin and Tu beat the pulp out of each other, sending flying disks of earth at the other without the slightest bit of remorse. In the back of his mind, he wondered if Asami would get mad that they were completely wrecking her backyard, but considering how huge the place was, and the fact they could fix it if they really wanted to, he decided it didn't matter. There was also the fact that Asami was currently in the Spirit World with Korra, and who knew when they'd be getting back. Besides, his brother and cousin were having way too much fun to call out a warning to be careful. And then he would also just sound like a lame, stick in the mud.

Shaking his head at his relatives, Mako turned to leave just as five other cousins suddenly burst out to join in on the fun. Soon, they had an entire game set up with all the earthbenders of the family, creating some form of what Mako could only describe as one-element pro-bending. Mako just rolled his eyes and thought he better get ready for work, lest he be late.

Mako had to admit, living in the Sato mansion was pretty great. Asami offered to let them stay indefinitely, since Ba Sing Se was still a bit of a mess leftover from Kuvira and with so many of them, they'd be hard pressed to find a place in Republic City where all of them would fit. And so here they were, back to living in style like the good old days...when Hiroshi was still alive and, uh, not an equalist...when half the city wasn't covered in vines...when a Spirit Portal hadn't been shoved right in the center of it all. Life was so much simpler when all Mako was concerned with was winning the next bending match.

The Sato mansion had been transformed the moment their grandmother set foot in it. On the wall in the main entrance hung a picture of Prince Wu, despite the fact that he gave up his crown, as well as one of President Raiko, even though he wasn't actually royalty. Traditional Earth Kingdom green had been hung in every place possible, replacing the more modern tapestries that once adorned the halls. Grandma Yin really was a traditionalist at heart, and Mako guessed that the extra green reminded her of home. He didn't mind. Not really. It's just...he sometimes felt like the outsider.

Mako loved his family, he really did. And he was so very glad that he and Bolin found them in Ba Sing Se. For so long, it had just been the two of them, and he had always had to be the older, responsible one. It was nice to have uncles and aunts he could look up to, and a grandmother to dote on him. It was nice to have cousins to laugh with when Bolin got a little annoying. But Mako often felt so awkward around them. Bolin fit in easy. Down to his core, he was an earthbender, Earth Kingdom, stubborn as a rock. His eyes shone the bright green just like the rest of their family. Except for Mako. Mako the firebender. Mako, who always took after their mother. Mako of the Fire Nation.

Mako had always wondered if he - _they_ \- had family in the Fire Nation. Maybe another old grandmother, who wondered what happened to her daughter and two grandsons. And a great big family, all of whom had amber eyes and shot sparks instead of stones. Thinking back, he couldn't recall his mother ever talking about having family. But that didn't mean she didn't have any...

With a heavy sigh, Mako dressed in his uniform and gathered his gear. He supposed he'll just always be the odd man out. A flame surrounded by stone... But he wouldn't let his thoughts consume him. If he wasn't careful, he'd get all grumpy and lonely and turn out like Chief Lin, before she reconciled with her sister. And, hey, it's not like there will be earthbenders forever in the family. With the way things are looking between Opal and Bolin, it probably won't take long until an airbender is added to the tree.

Who came from a completely earthbending family.

Mako nearly crashed as he drove to the station, so caught up as he was with his thoughts. He really wished he didn't have the afternoon shift today. That meant he'd be there till midnight, finishing up all the extra paper work left behind by those slackers too lazy to do it themselves. And if he was _really_ unlucky, someone would decide to prank call just as he was about to leave. Sometimes, Mako wondered why he ever became a cop in the first place.

The were words in front of him, Mako swore, but no matter how many times he sounded out the letters in his head, he simply couldn't seem to understand what he was reading. After the seventh time of rereading the same sentence over again, he pushed his work to the side, pinching the bridge of his nose. He had a headache coming on, he could feel it.

No matter how hard he tried, Mako just couldn't stop thinking about his mother. He remembered when he first started firebending, how he had been so excited to hold flames just as she did. She used to tell him stories of all the great firebenders of history, from the ferocious dragons who soared the skies, all the way to Lord Zuko himself, who was still alive to this day. She would tell him about the sun, the great spirit Agni, and how he blessed the earth with his warmth, giving the knowlegde of fire to mortal beings for the first time. And how he was one of those blessed few.

Thinking of his mother left Mako with a bittersweet smile on his face. On his desk was a copy of the photo Grandma Yin had given them, showing a charming little family of an earthbender and a firebender and their two smiling children, Bolin on their father's lap, Mako standing in front of their mother. With a heavy sigh, Mako stood and headed for the Chief's office. He knew it was a desperate, most likely foolish hope, but he had to ask. Just to be sure. Mako knocked and waited for Lin's voice to call out through the door, a gruff, "Come in." She looked up when he entered, subtle surprise on her features that was gone in an instant. "Mako. Is there a problem?"

He suddenly didn't want to ask. The chief could very easily blow up at him for making such a foolish request. But it was too late now. "Um, no," Mako answered. "I was just wondering if I could ask for a favor." Lin narrowed her eyes at him and gave him a careful glare, but her lack of response encouraged him to continue. "Um...fourteen years ago, two people were murdered by a firebending mugger. San and Naoki."

Lin sighed and rubbed her temple. "Mako, I can't open a decade and a half old case just to find your parent's killer." She then seemed to realize how harsh her words sounded, so she added, "Look kid, there's no way we'll find the guy anyway."

"That's not what I was going to ask," Mako said. "I was just wondering if there was any way to trace someone's lineage. See if they have any other family still alive. Back in the Fire Nation."

She would never in a million years admit it, but Mako swore her face softened a bit. "Oh..." He wondered if she had ever tried the same thing, to find out who her father was. Lin gave another sigh and said, "Look kid, it's a long shot, especially after so long...but I'll look into it."

"Really?" Mako tried not to sound too hopeful. By Lin's eye roll, he guessed he didn't succeed.

"I'm not promising anything," she quickly told him. "But...I guess it wouldn't hurt to try."

Mako smiled and bowed, saying, "Thank you Chief Beifong."

"Yeah, yeah," she grumbled. "Now get outta here and get back to work." And she's back. Mako just nodded and left, content with himself. He knew he shouldn't be this elated. All he got was a promise to "look into it." And that was most likely to come up dry. Still. He couldn't help but hope...

* * *

 **I might continue this, I might not. Depends on if I ever feel motivated to write about this again. But anyways, this was inspired when Bolin and Mako first found their family in Ba Sing Se, and there's hugs and kisses and tears all around, much love, ect. And I noticed how out of place Mako was in it all. Don't know if you've noticed, but Bolin and Mako always have at least something on their outfit that is their color (green or red). That, combined with Mako's amber eyes (actually, according to Avatar Wiki, they're** _ **tangerine)**_ **and the overwhelming green from the rest of his family, he kind of stuck out. So this was born. I've also always wondered if their mother ever had family, so that had something to do with it.**

 **I would also like to take this opportunity to make a mini rant-of-sorts about how people bash on Mako for how he treated Korra and Asami. Now, Mako was actually a pretty good boyfriend to Asami up until he started to like Korra. Even then, he wasn't intentionally hurting Asami, he didn't even realize how much of a douche he was being. And then with Korra? Lemme tell ya one thing, Korra was a horrible girlfriend. Just downright rotten. Mako was completely reasonable with her, even in telling the president about her plan with General Iroh (which was a stupid plan, let's admit), and she kind of just took everything out on him. The only time Mako was a real douche was when he didn't tell Korra right away about their breakup. Yeah, that was really messed up, especially since he vaguely got back together with Asami. Anyway, my point is, stop bashing on Mako. He wasn't a big jerk, he just got stuck in a really unfortunate love triangle...** _ **really**_ **unfortunate.**

 **That had absolutely nothing to do with the chapter or any future ones if I decide to continue this, but it just had to be said.**


End file.
